FLORENCE, S.C. – Four Francis Marion University seniors combined for 47 points on Senior Night and junior Nate Morley added a career-high 16 to lift the Patriots to a key 75-70 Peach Belt Conference victory over UNC Pembroke, Wednesday evening (Feb. 21) in men’s basketball action.
Francis Marion, which started the year 3-11, wins for the sixth time in its past 12 contests to improve to 9-17 overall and 5-10 in the PBC. UNCP drops to 6-20 and 5-10 and into a tie with the Patriots for third place in the PBC’s North Division. However, FMU owns the tiebreaker by having swept the season series from the Braves. The top three teams in each division receive a first-round bye in next week’s conference tournament.
Senior guard Dominic Bishop paced Francis Marion with 21 points, followed by Morley, senior center Kevin Ashford with 12, and senior guard Artis Lee with a season-high 10 points. The fourth senior, 6-6 Florence native Raymond Dorsey, added four points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
Junior 6-6 center Jonathan Hart led the Braves with a career-high 30 points and eight rebounds. He hit on 9-of-10 shots from the floor and 12-of-14 attempts at the foul stripe.
Each team managed a five-point lead in the opening stanza, before UNCP took a 37-36 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
Morley gave FMU the lead for good with a three-pointer to open the second half. The Patriots led 56-45 following a three-pointer by Bishop with 14:46 left. The margin was 10 points (59-49) following another Morley three-pointer with 12:49 remaining. UNCP then began chipping away at the deficit, and when Darren Jefferies scored on a layup with 52 ticks left, the Braves trailed by only 72-70.
Despite hitting only 3-of-6 free throws in the final minute, FMU hung on for the win as the Braves committed three turnovers and did not get off another shot.
The Patriots shot 59.1 percent (13 of 22) from the field over the final 20 minutes, while UNCP shot 54.2 percent (13 of 24) in the final half. For the game, FMU connected on a season-high 11 three-pointers and committed only 12 turnovers.
Francis Marion concludes its regular-season schedule with a PBC game at North Georgia College & State University, Saturday at 2 p.m. UNCP plays host to USC Upstate, Sunday at 4 p.m.
2-21-07 7:35 pm at Florence, SC (Smith University Center)
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY 75, UNC PEMBROKE 70
UNC PEMBROKE (6-20 , 5-10 PBC)
Hart, Jonathan 9-10 12-14 30; Walters, John 3-9 0-0 9; Salazar, Mark 3-8 2-4
9; Brown, Cortez 1-3 5-7 7; House, Everett 3-5 0-0 6; Honeycutt, Zack 2-6
0-1 4; Pinkston, Gabe 1-5 1-2 3; Jefferies, Darren 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 23-48
20-28 70.
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY (9-17 , 5-10 PBC)
Bishop, Dominic 6-15 5-11 21; Morley, Nate 5-11 2-2 16; Ashford, Kevin 5-5
2-2 12; Lee, Artis 4-6 0-0 10; Burton, Rodrick 3-6 1-3 7; Peterson, Larnelle
1-2 1-2 4; Dorsey, Raymond 2-4 0-1 4; Baker, Cortne' 0-2 1-2 1; Borojevich,
Greg 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-51 12-23 75.
UNC Pembroke................... 37 33 - 70
Francis Marion University..... 36 39 - 75
3-point goals-UNC Pembroke 4-18 (Walters, John 3-6; Salazar, Mark 1-3;
Honeycutt, Zack 0-4; Pinkston, Gabe 0-3; Jefferies, Darren 0-1; Brown,
Cortez 0-1), Francis Marion University 11-24 (Morley, Nate 4-9; Bishop,
Dominic 4-8; Lee, Artis 2-4; Peterson, Larnelle 1-1; Baker, Cortne' 0-2).
Fouled out--UNC Pembroke-House, Everett, Francis Marion University-None.
Rebounds-UNC Pembroke 32 (Hart, Jonathan 8), Francis Marion University 26
(Dorsey, Raymond 7). Assists-UNC Pembroke 15 (Jefferies, Darren 4), Francis
Marion University 16 (Baker, Cortne' 3; Bishop, Dominic 3; Peterson,
Larnelle 3). Total fouls-UNC Pembroke 20, Francis Marion University 20.
A-660
FMU Senior Night for 2007 ; Seniors combine for 47 pts; Charges drawn: Lee
Career-high points for Hall, Morley
